Dark Reflection
by ninewood
Summary: A/U of episode 6x08, Regina and Emma are trapped in the mirror world, but they are not alone. In Storybrooke, Belle and the others have to deal with Rumplestiltskin, but find out he might not be who they think he is.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Pain was the first thing Emma felt as she shook her head, sat up and placed her wrists on her knees. All around her were mirrors and the sky was a dark blue color.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked.

"We're in the mirror realm," Regina said as she walked closer and helped Emma to her feet.

"How do we get out of here?"

"You don't, Dearie," a voice said as they turned around and saw the one person they never thought they'd see.

"Gold?" Emma said as Rumplestiltskin came closer then stopped just a few feet in front of them. He was dressed all in black, but his clothes looked ragged and torn. She noticed the scared look in his eyes, but what really surprised her was he had long hair.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked, glaring at him. He slightly backed up as he reached for something to defend himself and she frowned. "Are you…? Are you scared of us?"

"No," he said, but she caught the little whimper in his voice.

"You are afraid of us," she said with a small grin.

"Regina, knock it off," Emma said while walking closer to Rumplestiltskin, but he kept backing away from them. "Easy. We're not going to hurt you."

"Leave me alone," he half growled, turned and ran.

"Oh, great," Regina said when Emma ran after him and Regina sighed. "Wait for me."

Emma knew that Rumplestiltskin was a fast runner, but he seemed to be slowing down and sat down hard on the ground. She cautiously walked to him when she knelt down on her haunches and he bent his knees up, placing his forehead against them while wrapping his arms around his lower legs.

"Look at me," she said and he slowly raised his head. She had seen traumatized people in her time as a bail bonds person, but she never thought she would see Rumplestiltskin like this. He tried to crabwalk backwards when she moved closer, but there was nowhere to go. He balled his hands into tight fists and she knew he was going to attack if she came any closer. "Hey. No need for that. I said I wasn't going to hurt you."

She was surprised when he whimpered and she sat down next to him. He was visibly shaking as his breath came and went in short gulps and he kept flexing his fingers. Gently, she moved her hand closer when she placed her hand on top of his and he looked at her. He didn't attack as much as lean into her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She slid her arms around his thin frame when she carded his hair and he sobbed. She only knew one other time she had seen him cry like this and that was when his son…when Neal died.

"Is he alright?" Regina asked. She watched Emma rocking her former mentor while hushing him like he was a child and Regina knelt down to look at him. "Are you?"

"No." was all he could say and the voice he used was so small, so lost and so full of pain. He reached out a shaky hand as Regina took it and wrapped their fingers together. She rubbed his thumb with hers as she lightly squeezed his fingers and he sniffed. He calmed down a few minutes later while Emma used the pads of her thumbs to wipe his eyes and he gave her a tiny grin.

"When did you get here?" she asked and he placed his cheek against her shoulder. She watched him playing with her fingers after letting go of Regina's hand, but he didn't answer.

"Emma, shouldn't that be how?" Regina asked.

"Look at him. This isn't the Gold we've been dealing with," Emma said and Rumplestiltskin frowned. He seemed to be figuring out what was going on and he sat up a little straighter.

"Then it really happened," he said as he wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"Let me ask you this," he said, looking at her. "Where's Zelena?"

"We put her in jail."

"Is she still there?"

"Well, if you hadn't killed her…," Emma said and his eyes went wide.

"I what?!"

"You killed her," she said then told him about how they found out he had killed her, how Zelena's essence following her and Killian back in time, how she killed Robin's wife, Marion, then took over her body and her coming back to Storybrooke.

"You're lying!" he shouted. His voice echoed around them as he got up and ran. Sighing, Emma and Regina got up when they chased after him and he headed for a temple. Two mirrors were on two of the walls and a full-length mirror in a gold frame sat on the stone floor. He looked at the stand where shards of broken mirror glass sat on top and he picked up a large shard, holding it tightly in his hands. They stopped as he looked at them and the shard of glass shook violently in his hands. "Stay away from me!"

"Look, we don't have time for this," Regina said.

"Regina," Emma growled then held her hands up. She was amazed his hands weren't bleeding from how hard he was holding onto the large shard of glass and tried to figure out how to keep him from hurting them. "Ok, I understand you're scared. Put the glass down and we can talk."

"I said…," he said then placed the shard of mirror glass back on the stand and sank to the ground. She moved closer when she sat down next to him and he leaned into her. She made soft hushing sounds while Regina watched and Emma carded his hair. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to do what?" Emma asked.

"I was… I was in the pawnshop," he said, sounding a little breathless. "It felt so alien to me. Like I didn't belong there anymore. I was looking around when I looked in the mirror and that's when I heard it."

"Heard what?" Regina asked as she walked closer then knelt down to look at him.

"I just thought it was one of the voices I normally hear," Rumplestiltskin said with small giggle. "The voices of the Dark Ones. But this one was different. It asked if I was happy and I told it I wasn't. It then asked if I wanted to go somewhere where I would be happy and I said yes. The next thing I knew, I was here," he said and Emma hushed him. Regina looked at him when she stood up and looked around. Sydney, the Genie had told her about some of the dangerous things he had seen in the mirror realm and one of the things he was always cautious of was…

"Damn," Regina said and they looked at her. "We're dealing with a Dark Reflection."

"What is a Dark Reflection?" Emma asked.

"According to Sydney, it's a demon which lives here. It can contact people through mirrors and turn them into the exact opposite of who they really are or, like with Gold, it takes over their bodies so it can cause havoc."

"That would explain why he's not been his usual self lately," Emma said and he frowned.

"What have I been doing?" he asked.

"Well, for one thing, you married Belle," Regina said and he gasped.

"I… I married her?!"

"Yeah, and you're going to…," she said then Emma lightly kicked her leg. "Hey!"

"What am I going to do to Belle?" he pleaded and Emma rolled her eyes.

"She's pregnant," Emma said.

"Is…? Is the baby mine?"

"Yes, but that's where it gets sticky. The two of you are separated right now," Regina said, but wasn't sure if she should tell him about Belle's affair with Will Scarlet. She had heard rumors they might have sex, but this pregnancy happened before they went to the Underworld. Will had left Storybrooke before then and she wonder if he had gone back to Wonderland.

Rumplestiltskin grew quiet as the thought of him becoming a father again moved through his mind and he snuggled closer to Emma. She rocked him as he made a staggered sigh and she brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Is…? Is she alright?" he finally asked.

"No, she's not. You… Uh… The other you put her through the ringer. She wants nothing to do with you, uh, him," Regina said and he bit his lower lip. The idea of hurting Belle made him feel sick and he started playing with Emma's fingers again.

"I see," he said and Emma glared at her.

"Look, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, but we need to figure out how to get out of here," Regina said as she stood up.

"I said there is no way out," he said, looking up at her. "If there was, I would have done it."

"Great," she sighed as she walked to one of the mirrors and waved her hand. A blue mist swirled behind the glass when she saw Henry looking in the mirror and Regina smiled. "Henry!"

"What about him?" Emma asked.

"No, he's in this mirror!" Regina said and Emma let go of Rumplestiltskin then got up. He got up as he looked in the mirror and frowned.

"He looks…older," Rumplestiltskin said.

"He's sixteen now," Emma said and he gave her a shocked look.

"How long have I been here?"

"It's been about three years," Regina said, taking his hand and wrapped their fingers together.

"We need to find a way to contact him. If he learns we're in here, he'll find a way to get us out" Emma said as Rumplestiltskin looked at his grandson and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"I know a way," he said and walked to the mirror.

 _Storybrooke – Regina's house_

Henry looked in the mirror as he got ready for his date with Violet when he noticed a blue mist behind the glass and the glass of the mirror was fogging up.

 **Henry!** suddenly appeared in the fog then the fog faded and he frowned.

"Uh, hello?" he asked and the glass fogged over again.

 **We can't hear you.**

Henry thought for a few minutes then breathed on the glass, fogging it up.

 **Can you read this?** he wrote then the fog faded.

 **Yes!** appeared, but the fog didn't fade.

 **What do you want?**

 **Help Us!**

 **Who are you?**

 **Mom!** appeared and his eyes widened. He knew Emma and Regina has gone to trap the Evil Queen in an enchanted mirror, but Regina had come to tell them she and Emma had succeeded.

 **Mom?! Which one?**

 **Both.**

 **You mean the Evil Queen….?**

 **Yes! She trapped us here!**

 **I knew something was weird with her, uh, you, when I went to ask her about what I should do for my date with Violet. Don't worry. I'll find a way to…**

 **Hammer!** then a drawing of a hammer appeared in the fog. He recognized it from his time from working at the pawnshop and he frowned.

 **I know what that is.**

 **Do you remember where it is?**

 **It's in the pawnshop.**

 **I need you to go get it for me!**

 **Who are you?**

 **Rumplestiltskin!**

 **Grandpa?**

 **Yes, it's me. The Rumplestiltskin out there is a fake. You have to believe me. Please, go get the hammer.**

Everything screamed to Henry it was a trap as he looked at the mirror and shook his head.

 **Is this a trap? Are you making them do this?**

 **No, this isn't a trap and, no, he isn't making us do anything! Just do what he says and go get the hammer!** appeared then faded and he moved closer, placing his hand against the glass. He didn't know Rumplestiltskin had his hand against the glass as something moved through both of them and Henry backed up. Whatever he felt caused a warm tingle to move through him and he looked at the mirror.

"Right," he said with a nod then ran down the hallway.

 _Gold's pawnshop_

Henry wasn't sure how he was going to get hold of the hammer or how to use it to free his moms and grandpa from the mirror as he walked to the door, but the door was locked. He peered into the window, but couldn't see anything and sighed.

"Great," he said, but didn't notice someone had walked up behind him and placed their hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. He turned around to see the Dark Reflection standing there and he smiled. Henry never felt cold when his grandpa smiled, but now a cold shiver moved up and down his spine.

"Hello, Henry," he said.

"Hi. Uh, I know you're busy, but I really need to talk you," he said and hoped the Dark Reflection believed his lie.

"Of course. I always have time for you," he said and unlocked the door. The silver bell over the door jingled as he walked inside, turned and looked at Henry. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I want to help you and my mom."

"I thought you didn't think the Evil Queen was your mother."

"I changed my mind."

The Dark Reflection looked suspiciously at him then nodded and stood back, letting him come inside. Henry noticed how dark the inside of the pawnshop was as the Dark Reflection walked to the display case at the back of the shop, went behind it and looked at him.

"Mind telling me what's really going on?" the Dark Reflection asked. "I know you. You'd never go to the Dark Side."

"I…."

"No more lies," the Dark Reflection growled and bared his teeth.

"I'm not lying," Henry said as the Dark Reflection moved quickly from behind the display case and headed for him. Suddenly Henry felt something in his hand as he wrapped his fingers around the handle and lifted his hand up the Dark Reflection stopped as he looked at the dagger and Henry sighed. "Dark One, I command you to obey me!"

The Dark Reflection looked at him as he smiled and Henry held tighter onto the handle.

"Oh dearie, dearie dear. It doesn't seem to be working." the Dark Reflection said as he lifted his hand and Henry started choking.

"Leave him alone!" a voice said as the Dark Reflection turned and looked at the young man standing in the doorway to the backroom. He had brown hair like the Dark Reflection, but had blue eyes and was taller than they were. He was wearing cream color robes and light brown leather sandals. In his hands was the hammer and he walked over to stand next to Henry.

"Stay out of this!" the Dark Reflection said after recognizing who the young man was and lowered his hand. Henry fell to his knees as he coughed then stood up, looking at the young man. "What are you doing with that?

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out," the young man said with a grin.

"Who are you?" Henry asked.

"My name is Morpheus," Morpheus said.

"Are you the one who gave me his dagger?"

"Yes."

"But it didn't work."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But, right now, we need to go," he said as he and Henry disappeared in a puff of white smoke while the Dark Reflection titled his head back and roared.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"He's got the hammer," Emma said with a grin as they watched Henry and Morpheus vanish and the blue mist swirled behind the glass.

"Who... Who was that young man?" Rumplestiltskin asked, giving them a confused look.

"I don't know. Never seen him before," Regina said.

"He seems to know a lot about your shop," Emma said.

"He must. The cabinet where that hammer was stored can only be opened by me or someone related to me," Rumplestiltskin said.

"Could the Dark Reflection have given him some of your blood? He did seem to recognize him," Regina said as he sat down and held his head in his hands. It was Regina's turn to sit as she moved him against her and kissed the side of his head. She rocked him while his body shook and she heard him breathing hard in her ear. "Will you knock it off?"

"Regina," Emma hissed again.

"No, the Rumplestiltskin I know wouldn't be like this."

"He isn't that man anymore!" Emma said and Rumplestiltskin looked up at her with such sadness in his eyes that she felt like crying. "And what's worse is we let it happen! We just left him to his own devices instead of helping him because he's the Dark One!"

"We thought he was fine."

"You didn't think _I_ was fine when _I_ became the Dark One!"

"What are you talking about, Dearie?" he asked and she walked closer to sit next to him. She told him about how he was dying because the darkness was destroying his heart, how he went about getting rid of his power, Belle banishing him, their time in the book he wrote with Isaac, what the Apprentice had done, her time as the Dark One, her trying to turn him into a hero, Killian dying and her blackmailing him to take them to the Underworld and how they brought Killian back. He blinked when he took her hand and she wrapped their fingers together. Regina saw the pain in his eyes when she turned her face away and looked at the mirror.

 _Storybrooke – Mary Margaret and David's apartment_

It was David's turn to be awake as he fed Neal when a white puff of smoke appeared and Henry walked to him.

"Henry, what's going on? Who's he?" David asked and Morpheus walked closer.

"This is Morpheus," Henry said and Morpheus made a small nod of his head.

"Where did he come from?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Morpheus said as he smiled then wiggled his fingers at Neal and Neal giggled.

"Grandpa, we're in trouble. The Evil Queen's captured my moms," Henry said.

"But Regina said she was trapped inside the mirror," David said.

"That was the Evil Queen."

"So Emma's not in New York."

"No."

"Where are they?"

"They're in the mirror," a voice said as they turned to see Killian standing in the doorway. He had some blood rolling down his face from where his head hit the rock after confronting the Evil Queen and he looked like he was about to pass out. Henry helped him sit down on the couch as he sighed and placed Emma's phone on the coffee table. "Who's he?"

"This is Morpheus," David said as he placed Neal back in the crib.

"Wait," Killian said. "Belle told me someone with that name woke her up. She said he was her son."

"Her son?"

"Yeah, hers and the Crocodile's," he said then got up and walked to Morpheus. "What are you doing here, Mate?"

"He helped me get this," Henry said, showing them the hammer.

"What are you going to do with that? Smash the Crocodile's head in? Not that I would mind."

"No," Henry said, glaring at him. "We need it to free my moms and grandpa from the mirror realm."

"Henry, I'm right here," David said.

"I mean my other grandpa."

"Your other grandpa is Gold."

"Yeah, he's with them."

"How do you know this isn't a bloody trap?" Killian asked.

"I don't," Henry said. "What we need is a mirror…"

"Snow broke the only mirror we have," David said, looking back at the bedroom.

"What about the one in the bathroom?"

David led the way when Morpheus looked at Mary Margaret sleeping under the covers then smiled, nodding his head. They went into the bathroom when Henry walked to the mirror and breathed on the glass until the glass fogged over,

 **Mom, are you there?** Henry wrote on the glass. They waited as the mirror fogged over and Henry smiled.

 **Yes, we're here.** appeared and David looked at Killian.

"Are you ok, Swan?" Killian asked.

"They can't hear us. You have to write on the mirror," Henry said and Killian wrote what he said on the glass.

 **Yeah, I'm good.**

 **Is Gold really with you? Is he making you do this?** David wrote.

 **Yeah, he's here and, no, Dad, he's not making us do anything.**

 **How the bloody hell did he get in there?** Killian wrote.

 **He was taken by a Dark Reflection.**

 **What's a dark reflection?**

 **It is a demon which lives here and it can make people act the opposite of how they normally act or take them over.**

 **Gold, is that you?** David wrote.

 **Yes, Dearie, it's me.** appeared and Morpheus smiled.

 **Are you alright, Papa?** he wrote on the glass and they looked at him. The mirror didn't fog over for a few minutes then the fog appeared.

 **Yes, I'm fine.**

 **So, this Dark Reflection thing made you into someone you're not?** Killian wrote

 **No, it took over my body, you…**

"Why didn't he finish that?"

"I think Emma stopped him," David said with a smile.

 **Grandpa, what do you want me to do with the hammer?** Henry wrote.

 **I need you to smash the mirror.**

 **And that will free all of you?** David wrote.

 **No, it will only free Emma and Regina.**

 **Why won't it free you?** Henry wrote.

 **Even though I have form here, I wouldn't have one there.**

 **So, you're some sort of ghost?** David wrote.

 **Yes.**

 **Are you saying we can kill the other you and be rid of the Dark One for good?** Killian wrote then saw the look in Morpheus' eyes. Something about the young man scared Killian as he swallowed hard and Morpheus scrunched his nose up then bared his teeth just like Rumplestiltskin.

"Just kidding, Mate," he said.

 **Leave my son alone, Captain!**

 **How did you know what I said?**

 **I can read lips!**

 **How do we get you out?** David wrote.

 **I don't know. What I do know is, if you do figure a way to free me, you first have to get the Dark Reflection out of my body.**

 **I get that, but he might not like that idea.**

"We could ask the Blue Fairy," Killian said.

"No!" Morpheus said as **NO!** appeared and they looked at him then the mirror.

 **Why not?** David wrote.

 **She hates me!**

"Gee, isn't that a surprise," Killian said.

 **Killian, knock it off and find out how to get him out of here!**

"How…?"

 **I told you I can read lips, Captain!**

 **Maybe we could ask Belle.** Henry wrote.

 **Belle doesn't care about me anymore**.

 **She might if she finds out what's really going on.** David wrote.

 **How can you be sure?**

 **Leave that to me, Papa.** Morpheus wrote as he vanished in a puff of white smoke.

"Where do you think he went?" Henry asked.

"Mostly likely, he's gone to see Belle," David said.

"Do you think she'll listen to him?" Killian asked.

"I hope so," David said as he looked at the mirror and sighed.

 _Jolly Roger_

Belle felt so tired. The monster who she thought was Rumplestiltskin had placed a gold band around her wrist and threatened to find her no matter where she went. He wanted to steal her baby and force him to love him. He wasn't the man she had fell in love with anymore and she was terrified of him. Sighing, she slid onto the bed when she fell asleep and placed her hand on her stomach.

"Mama?" a voice asked as she opened her eyes and saw Morpheus standing over her. Sitting up, she saw she was in the Dark Castle and the bright sunlight shined around the room.

"What are we doing here?" Belle asked.

"I need to show you something," he said and held his hand out. She got up when they walked out into the hallway then walked to the gold framed mirror. She looked at their reflections when a blue mist floated behind the glass and she saw what appeared to be a land of mirrors behind the glass.

"What is that?" she asked.

"That is the realm behind the mirror," he said then tapped on the glass. He wasn't sure if he could do this in a dream as he sighed and tapped again. "Papa? Are you there?"

Belle had no idea what was going on when she saw a shadow just on the edge of the glass and frowned.

"It's alright, Papa," he said when Belle's eyes widened while Rumplestiltskin appeared and he folded his hands in front of him. She looked at Morpheus then at Rumplestiltskin when she noticed how Rumplestiltskin was dressed and that he had long hair.

"Hello, Belle," Rumplestiltskin said in a soft voice.

"What are you up to?" Belle demanded, glaring at Morpheus then looked at Rumplestiltskin. "Release him!"

"Wait. You can hear me?"

"Yes! Now let him go or, so help me, you will never…"

"Mama, calm down," Morpheus said. "He's not making me do anything."

"But…!"

"Do you remember when we first met? I told you Rumplestiltskin was a danger to us," he said then looked at Rumplestiltskin. "This isn't him."

"I don't understand," she said and Rumplestiltskin walked closer.

"Do you remember when Zelena was defeated?" Rumplestiltskin asked and she saw the hurt and pain in his eyes.

"Yes, after Emma stopped her, Regina had told me to come to her house and she gave me your dagger."

"Where was I?"

"You were in the pawnshop."

"What was I doing?"

"You were…," she said then backed up a bit. "You were looking in the mirror."

"Did I…? Did I seem like myself?"

"You haven't really been yourself for a long time."

"You're right," he said then sighed. "I haven't."

She noticed he was shutting down as she moved closer and placed her hand on the glass. He was reluctant to come any closer and gave her a small smile. No matter how she felt, she could sense this was really her Rumplestiltskin, her Beast, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What happened?" she asked in a soft voice.

"You're not going to believe me," he said.

"Let me decide that," she said with a small grin.

"I was… I was looking in the mirror when I heard this voice in my head. It asked if I was happy and I said I wasn't. How could I be happy, Belle? I died defending a town that didn't care about me. I was brought back, but my son paid the price for it. I was kept caged and abused for a year by a woman who was obsessed with me. No one, and that includes you, cared and left me in the cage. But the worse part was I came back here and my son dies. Does anyone ask if I'm alright? Does anyone console me? Did _you_? No, I was left alone."

His words stung worse then what had happened afterward and she knew he was right.

"What happened next?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"The voice asked if I wanted to go somewhere where I could be happy. I know I was running away, but I didn't believe I belonged there with you anymore. Why should I stay? I said yes and ended up here."

"But…," she said as she tried not to cry. "But if you're in there, what have I…? Who have I been living with? Who is his father?"

"It's called a Dark Reflection. It's a demon who lives here and can cause people to act the opposite of how the normally act or, in my case, take over their bodies."

"It took over your body?" she asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"Mama," Morpheus said and she looked at him. "He's not lying to you."

"If that's true, then are you really his papa?" she asked, looking at Rumplestiltskin.

"Yes, in a way. You see, even though the Dark Reflection is inside me, it was still my body which…," Rumplestiltskin said, moving his hands up and down while looking at hers.

"How do we get you out of there?"

"You can't," Rumplestiltskin sighed.

"Oh yes I can! I don't care what it takes! I am going to get you back!" she said and Rumplestiltskin smiled. This was his Belle. His Beauty. He should never had doubted her. He walked to the mirror when he placed his hand against the glass to cover her hand and she gave him a genuine smile.

"If I can get out of here, will you marry me?"

"We're already married. Well, we're separated right now…"

"Regina told me that."

"How did she tell you?" she asked and he told her how the Evil Queen had trapped Regina and Emma in the mirror realm with him.

"My point is you married my reflection. My dark…"

"And my point is _you_ are my husband!" she said and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Would you let me see our child? I know he's not mine…"

"He _is_ yours!" she shouted and both Morpheus and Rumplestiltskin smiled.

"Then you'll let me be in his life?"

"Of course."

"I love you, Belle," he said, blinking the tears from his eyes.

"I love you, too. And I _will_ get you out of there," she said then the blue mist swirled behind the glass. Belle woke up with a gasp as her heart slammed in her chest then she rolled over onto her side and sobbed. "I will get you out!"

 _Gold's pawnshop_

"There you are," the Evil Queen said as she walked closer, but the Dark Reflection didn't answer. He was standing at the display case as he looked at the ultra sound photo of his child and strummed his fingers on the glass.

"What do you want?" he asked as he turned to look at her.

"My, you're in a bad mood," she said, running her fingers under the lapels of his suit jacket. "I went to check in with Zelena and she told me about your little visit. Looks like you put the bookworm on a leash."

"She is not leaving town with my son."

"Why don't you just do what Emma did to my sister? Advance the pregnancy, let her deliver the baby, take it and shove her over the city line," she said. "Don't you remember her doing that?"

"Of course I remember that."

"Zelena also told me about that little spell she put on this," she said, patting his chest over his heart. "I could rid you of that."

"I need my heart, Dearie."

"I meant the spell."

"Why do you want to remove it?"

"Because I don't need you having a heart attack if I have to get rid of her," she said and he moved his face a little closer. Before he could answer her, he looked at the mirror behind the display case and frowned. "What's wrong."

"No," he growled as he walked to the mirror and looked at his reflection. "No, I won't let you do it."

"What are you talking about?" she said, walking closer and stood next to him.

"Never mind," he said then vanished in a puff of red smoke and the Evil Queen frowned.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Emma held Rumplestiltskin as he sniffed and she gently rubbed his back. She had found him in front of one of mirrors, but he didn't say what he was looking at. He just broke down again. She moved back as she wiped his eyes with the pads of her thumbs and he smiled.

"What were you looking at?" she asked.

"I was talking to Belle," he said.

"We can't talk to anyone. We have to do that fog texting thing."

"Apparently, I can talk to her in her dreams."

"How?"

"With a little help from that young man. It turns out he's my son."

"He is?"

"Yes."

"But how can he be here as an adult when he's not even born yet?"

"I don't know. What I do know is he's the God of Dreams," he said and Emma's eyes widened.

"And he let you talk to her?"

"It seems so," he said with a shrug.

"Emma, get over here," Regina called out and they half ran to her. She was standing in front of a mirror as she frowned and Rumplestiltskin saw the worried look on her face.

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"I was spying on the Evil Queen and she went to see Gold, uh, the other Gold. They were talking and it looks like he's figuring out what we're up to."

"How can he do that?"

"He's me," Rumplestiltskin said. "He knows everything."

"Will he go after Henry?"

"He might. Or he might go after…," he said then his eyes went wide.

"He might go after Belle?" Emma asked.

"He's obsessed with her! More so since she's having his…my son!"

"Which means he'll either do something horrible to her or the Evil Queen will."

"Not if I can help it!" Regina said and they walked to the mirrors.

 _Storybrooke Library_

Belle looked at the screen as she read the information and took notes. She had been researching ways to get Rumplestiltskin out of the mirror realm and back into his body since last night. Yawning. She got up when she went into the backroom and into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection in the mirror when she placed her hand against the glass and breathed on the glass to fog it over.

 **Rumple, are you there?** she wrote. Morpheus had told her they could only talk by writing on the glass and she hoped Rumplestiltskin was near a mirror. She looked at her reflection when the blue mist swirled behind the glass and she smiled.

 **Hello, Belle.** appeared then faded.

 **Are you alright?**

 **Yes, but you're not.** appeared then faded.

 **What do you mean?**

"And here I thought you were smart," a voice said as she turned and saw the Dark Reflection standing behind her. "That wasn't him. It was me."

"But…"

"But what? Did you really think I wouldn't have known what was going on? Even though I'm out here, it doesn't mean I cut off from the mirror realm. What I do find interesting is I can even know what's going on in dream mirrors," he said, coming closer.

"Stay away from me!" Belle said, trying to find something to defend herself.

"Oh, are you afraid of me?" he asked with an evil grin while pressing his hand against his chest.

"I said…"

"I know what you said, but you need to understand one thing! I am not going to allow you bring him back!" he snarled and bared his teeth.

"I will get him back!"

"No you won't," he said as he lifted his hand, but Belle suddenly vanished in a puff of green smoke. Spinning around, he looked at Zelena as she smiled and he growled while walking closer. He raised his hand when a sharp pain moved through his chest and gasped.

"Forget you can't hurt me?" she asked then vanished in a puff of green smoke. Growling, the Dark Reflection slid to the floor as he breathed hard through his nose and balled his hand into a fist. He slowly stood up a few minutes later when he looked at the mirror and saw **You will never have them!** in the fog.

"That's what you think," he said then vanished in a puff of red smoke.

 _Mary Margaret and David's apartment_

Mary Margaret gave Belle a glass of water as Belle nodded and Zelena stood next to the couch. She knew they didn't like having her there, but she promised Regina she would keep Belle safe.

"Thank you," Belle said, sipping on the water.

"Have you found anything which will help free my grandpa?" Henry asked.

"I think so," Belle said as she removed the notebook she had placed in her pocket. "There is something called the Mirrors of Janus."

"Who's Janus?" Killian asked.

"Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, time and endings. He usually depicted of having two faces, due to him seeing the future as well as the past. He presides over the beginning and ending of conflicts and has functions pertaining to birth and journeys. It is said he was at the origin of time and is a guardian to the gates of Heaven. He is also the initiator of human life. In short, he represents time," Belle said.

"Are you saying we have to use these mirrors to go back in time?" Zelena asked.

"Not again, Killian sighed.

"No," Belle said. "These mirrors can be used to trap the Dark Reflection. Once we get it into one mirror, we place the two of them together, lock them and it will be trapped in an endless time loop."

"But how do we get Grandpa out of the mirror realm then get the Dark Reflection out of Grandpa's body?" Henry asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet."

"Do we even know where the mirrors are?" Zelena asked.

"I know where they are," Belle said as she sipped on some water. "But it won't be easy getting them."

"The mirrors are in the pawnshop," Killian said.

"Yes," she said, nodding.

"Great," Mary Margaret sighed.

"I think I know how to get them," Zelena said. "I'll ask the Evil Queen."

"Why would she get them for you?"

"We are sisters. Well, she thinks we are."

"How are you going to get her to do it?" Killian asked.

"I'll say I need it to get rid of her," Zelena said, pointing to Belle.

"She won't do it," Mary Margaret said.

"She might if I told her Belle's planning to get rid of him."

"No! You tell her that and Gold, uh, the other Gold will kill Belle!"

"No," Belle said. "No, he won't. He wants this baby and would do anything to make sure he's born."

"But…"

"There's no buts about it. We are getting my husband back and I am willing to…"

"We understand what you're willing to do, but I don't think he'd be happy with us if anything happens to you or the baby, Love," Killian said.

"He's right. You're not doing this," a voice said as they turned and saw Morpheus standing in the bedroom doorway.

"Who are you?" Mary Margaret asked, walking to him.

"This is Morpheus," Belle said.

"He's the God of Dreams?"

"Something like that," Morpheus said with a grin then looked at Belle. "Mama…"

"Did he…? Did he just call you "mama"?" Mary Margaret asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, I did and it's a long story," he said then looked at Belle. "Mama, I think you should stay out of this."

"I need to do something," Belle said and he walked by Mary Margaret then placed his hand on Belle's shoulder.

"You've done enough. You figured out how to get that thing out of Papa."

"Hold on," Mary Margaret said. "Who's his papa?"

"Who do you think?" Henry asked and Mary Margaret gasped.

"He's Gold's son?"

"Yes, I am," Morpheus sad. "Now, Auntie Snow, will you please shut up?"

"Auntie…?" she asked then closed her mouth and he smiled.

"Well, if she's not going to do it, who else are we going to use as bait?" Henry asked.

"Oh, I know there's someone he wouldn't mind getting rid of," Morpheus said, looking at Killian.

"You mean me?!" Killian asked with a shocked look.

"Makes sense. He does hate you," Zelena said and he glared at her.

"He hates you, too."

"Then maybe you should find your own way to get the mirrors!" Zelena said, raising her hands.

"Hold on! We do need your help!" Belle said and Zelena lowered her hands.

"The problem is I don't know if she knows what the mirrors look like."

"You'll need this," Belle said as she took a page out of the notebook. On the page was a drawing of the mirrors and Zelena took the page from her.

"Thanks," she said then vanished in a puff of green smoke.

"I better go wake David," Mary Margaret sighed and headed for the bedroom. She didn't notice Morpheus following her when he stood at the foot of the bed and she went to get ready for bed. She came back a few minutes later when she got under the covers and leaned towards David to kiss him.

"Hold on," Morpheus said and she looked at him. He placed his finger to his lips as he walked to David then stuck his hand into David's chest. He removed David's half-heart as her eyes went wide and he shook his head. "Lie down."

"What are you doing?" she whispered, looking toward the doorway. She knew she could scream for help, but something in Morpheus' eyes assured her he was about to do something amazing. She slid under the covers as he walked around to her side of the bed, checked to see if anyone was looking and he leaned closer.

"I know you don't trust me right now, but you'll thank me later," he said when he slid his hand into her chest and she gasped. He removed her half-heart as she closed her eyes and he looked at the two half-hearts pulsating in his hands. Closing his eyes, he lightly moved his fingers and the blackness in their hearts faded. He opened his eyes as he smiled then placed her half-heart back in her chest. Mary Margaret gasped as she opened her eyes and he placed David's half-heart in her hand. "Go on."

Still suspicious, she slid David's half-heart back into his chest when David gasped and opened his eyes.

"Snow?" he asked then blinked his eyes a few times. "What's going on?"

"Grandpa, you're awake?" Henry asked as he came in the room and Killian and Belle followed him.

"I guess so," David said and Mary Margaret hugged him.

"But how?" Belle asked.

"He did it," Mary Margaret said, pointing to Morpheus.

"It's just a little trick my aunt taught me," Morpheus said with a grin.

"Just who are you, Mate?" Killian asked.

"Someone you shouldn't mess with…Mate," Morpheus said, glaring at him.

"Stop that," Belle said, tapping her fingers against Morpheus upper arm. He nodded as she lightly nudged him and he placed his hands in front of him.

"Someone want to fill me in?" David asked and Mary Margaret snuggled closer, placing her head against his chest. Henry and Morpheus felt a little uncomfortable as Mary Margaret filled David in on what was going on and David looked at Morpheus. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Morpheus said.

"And Zelena's helping us?"

"It appears so," Belle said.

"Well, we better hope she succeeds in convincing the Evil Queen to help us or we're in real trouble," David said with a sigh and Mary Margaret placed her hand on his shoulder.

 _Zelena's farmhouse_

"Ah, doesn't this look cute?" the Evil Queen asked when she came into the room and Zelena was feeding her daughter, Robin. She felt guilty about leaving her behind to help Belle as she rocked Robin and titled her head to one side.

"I take it things aren't going well," Zelena said as the Evil Queen sat down.

"That's putting it lightly."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Did the Dark One come back here? I went to the pawnshop, but he's not there."

"No, he hasn't."

"Where is the Little Bookworm? I thought you were hiding her out," the Evil Queen asked, looking around.

"I guess she went back to her little hidey hole now that he knows she came to me for help."

"Why are you helping her?"

"Because I like torturing him."

"And people say I'm evil."

"I keep telling you. I'm not evil. Anyway, do you want to hear what she has planned for him?"

"What is she going to do?"

"She told me she wants to get something called the Mirrors of Janus."

"Never heard of them."

"Well, from what she told me, they would be strong enough to trap him so he can't take her baby away."

"Why doesn't she just use the Sorcerer's Hat?"

"Do you know where it is?"

"I think it's in the pawnshop. But, even if she could get her hands on it, I don't think she knows how to make it work,"

"Well, I was thinking. If we got hold of the mirrors before she does…"

"Do you know where they are?"

"She said they were in the pawnshop."

"If they are, he would have destroyed them."

"Not if he was going to use them at some point. He is a bit of a hoarder," Zelena said and laughed.

"Then go get them."

"I would, but he's still a little cross about me putting that spell on his heart."

"Remove it," she said then placed her hands on her hips.

"Why? He wants to kill me."

"I won't let him," she said and Zelena saw the honesty in her eyes.

"You mean it?"

"Yes."

"Well, if that's the case, I will, but I can't go get the mirrors. Robin needs me," she said and the Evil Queen looked at Robin.

"Fine. I'll go them," she said. "Do you know what they look like?"

"She gave me this," Zelena said and handed her the page Belle gave her. Nodding, the Evil Queen vanished in a puff of purple smoke and Zelena smiled down at Robin. "Mommy is so wicked."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"What just happened? Why can't we use the mirrors?" Regina asked as she looked at the mirrors.

"He must have blocked them." Rumplestiltskin said with a sigh.

"Then we're all stuck here," Emma said.

"Not necessarily," Regina said as she looked at the full-length mirror.

"How is that supposed to help us?"

"What if it's not just any mirror?"

"You mean it could be a portal?"

"Yes."

"But how do we know for sure?"

"We need to put the pieces back together," Regina said, picking up on of the shards. She walked to the mirror when she looked at the shape of the shard then looked at the broken edges. Emma watched her then looked at Rumplestiltskin and frowned. He stood in front of one of the mirrors and was rolling the fingers of his right hand like he was spinning something.

"You ok?" she asked as she walked to him and Rumplestiltskin balled his hand into a fist.

"No, I am not ok," he said, glancing at her.

"We'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Why bother? Even if you find a way to get me back into my body, I have to deal with what the Dark Reflection has done."

"You told them what happened. I'm sure…"

"Miss Swan, I know you are trying to help me, but we all know how you, all of you, feel about me. to you, I'm the Dark One. I'm a monster. All I do is hurt, use and kill people."

"People say the same about me," Regina said and he looked at her.

"But they allowed you to redeem yourself. No one's ever allowed me that pleasure."

"Do you want to redeem yourself?" Emma asked.

"Of course I do," he said, scowling. "The problem is I can't be what all of you want me to be."

"What do you think we want you to be?"

"You want me to be a hero."

"You were a hero."

"That wasn't me. True, the thoughts of me becoming one allowed that…thing to remove Excalibur out of the stone…allowed it to be a hero in that book…but the truth is I am not a hero. I'm a coward."

"Says who?" Regina asked.

"Says me! I know full well what I am and…"

"You except it. You told me that already."

"No, I didn't."

"Ok, that thing told me. In fact, now that I think about it, you…the other you…told me you liked the darkness."

"I don't. Not really. It's just safe there."

"Safe from what?" Emma asked.

"Safe from getting hurt," he said and was shocked when she hugged him. "Uh, that's a little too tight."

Nodding, Emma moved back and he shyly smiled.

"Hate to break up the hugfest, but, unless we fix this thing, none of us are going anywhere," Regina said and they walked to the mirror. Picking up the shards, they looked at the mirror and started placing the shards in the frame.

 _Storybrooke – Gold's pawnshop_

The purple smoke faded as the Evil Queen looked around then frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"Are you here?" she called out then walked to the curtain to the backroom and moved the curtain back. She gasped when she saw the Dark Reflection lying on the floor and she ran to him, kneeling down. "What happened?"

"Your sister happened," he said in a weak voice. When he had vanished after confronting Belle and Zelena at the library, he had come back to the pawnshop then collapsed. He wasn't sure if he was dying or just exhausted, but he did know he couldn't get up.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital."

"No," he said. "Just help me onto the couch."

Nodding, the Evil Queen helped him to his feet as they went to the couch and she helped him lie down. She knelt next to the couch when she took his hand and wrapped their fingers together.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Zelena told me Belle is planning on getting rid of you."

"She wouldn't dare."

"Well, according to Zelena, Belle plans to use the Mirrors of Janus and trap you inside them."

"I had no idea she knew about them."

"So they can be used against you?"

"Not if I destroy them."

"Where are they?"

"They're in there," he said, pointing to the black wood cabinet. The Evil Queen got up when she helped him to his feet and they walked to the dark wood cabinet. Waving his hand, the Dark Reflection opened the door then reached inside and removed something which looked like a thin silver book. She looked at the engravings of Janus' faces on the top while he moved his fingers over the engraving then handed the mirrors to her.

"How are you going to destroy it?" she asked.

"I'll just smash the mirrors."

"No, I have a better idea. Why don't we use them on Belle?"

Gasping, the Evil Queen felt her throat closing as the mirrors slid to the floor and the Dark Reflection growled.

"Let her go," Zelena said as he looked at her and dropped his hand. The Evil Queen fell to her knees as she rubbed her throat, coughed, picked up the mirrors then stood up.

"I should have known," he said then looked at the Evil Queen. "She set you up."

"What…," the Evil Queen said then cleared her throat. "What are you talking about?"

"She's helping Belle and the others."

"No I'm not," Zelena said.

"Then why did you rescue Belle from the library when I went to stop her from releasing him?!"

"Releasing who?" the Evil Queen asked.

"I'm amazed you haven't figured it out," Zelena said. "I mean really. Since when has the Dark One ever been interested in you?'

"There's always been an attraction."

"But he's never acted on it. Believe me. I know what it's like to be brushed off by him."

"So if this isn't him," the Evil Queen said as she walked closer and the Dark Reflection

glared at her. "Just who are you?"

"Someone you shouldn't mess with, Dearie," the Dark Reflection said.

"He's a Dark Reflection. He took over the Dark One's body and put the rest somewhere else," Zelena said.

"Where?" the Evil Queen asked.

"He's where you sent Regina and Emma."

"Is he?" she asked, arching her eyebrows. "Bring him back!"

"No," the Dark Reflection said.

"Then I guess I'm going to have to force you," the Evil Queen said, waving her hand and she and Zelena vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Growling, the Dark Reflection closing his eyes while trying to fight off the dizziness and sat down hard on the couch.

 _Zelena's farmhouse_

The purple smoke faded as the Evil Queen walked to the mirror in the bedroom and tapped on the glass.

"Hello? Rumplestiltskin? Can you hear me?" she called out, but the mirror only showed her reflection.

"It's not going to work. He sealed off the mirror realm," Zelena said while holding Robin in her arms.

"Then Regina and Emma Swan are stuck there as well," the Evil Queen said with a smile.

"Yes, but right now we need to focus on the Dark Reflection. He's not going to be happy now that you have something that can harm him," Zelena said and the Evil Queen looked down at the mirrors.

"You're right," she said, tapping the mirrors against her fingertips.

"I know you really don't trust me, but if you give me the mirrors, I'm sure the others could get rid of him for you," Zelena said and the Evil Queen looked at their reflections. The idea of helping Snow White and the others made her ill, but she also didn't want to deal with the Dark Reflection.

"Do you really think they can figure out how to get Rumplestiltskin back?"

"Yes."

The Evil Queen looked at their reflection as she thought for a few minutes then sighed.

"Here," she said as she handed Zelena the mirrors and Zelena placed Robin in her arms. Nodding, she left in a puff of green smoke and the Evil Queen looked down at Robin. "This better work."

 _Mary Margaret and David's apartment_

The puff of green smoke faded as Zelena looked at Mary Margaret, David, Henry, Killian, Belle and Morpheus then smiled.

"I got it," Zelena said, holding up the mirrors.

"Thank you," Belle said as she took the mirrors in her hands and Morpheus walked to her. He looked down at the engraving when he moved his fingers over the engraving and the engraving seemed to shimmer.

"Now what do we do?" David asked.

"We need to get Regina and Emma out of the mirror realm," Killian said.

"We need to get Rumple out as well," Belle said, glaring at him.

"Is that even possible?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yes," Morpheus said and they looked at him. "You have to believe me. We get all of them out."

"That's the thing, Mate. I don't trust you," Killian said. "How do we know you're not working with this Dark Reflection thing? Emma, Regina and, aye, the Crocodile…."

" _Stop_ calling him that!" Morpheus growled and Belle slid her arm around his waist.

"Killian, don't antagonize him," Belle said.

"He's his son alright. Got the same bloody temper," Killian mumbled and went to sit on the couch.

"Hey, come here. Something going on in the bedroom," Henry said as they ran into the bedroom and he pointed to the full-length mirror. Mary Margaret and David walked to the mirror as the glass shimmered in a blue light and their reflection looked warped. Suddenly the mirror realm appeared behind the glass as Regina and Emma smiled at them and Emma's eyes widened when she saw both of her parents were awake.

"Emma," Mary Margaret said softly.

Regina placed an arm out to stop Emma from walking to the glass and said something which made Emma frown.

"What's wrong?" Mary Margaret asked, looking at David.

"I think Regina's warning Emma that this might not be the right realm," he said. Emma walked closer when she placed her hands against the glass and David nodded. They placed their hands against the glass over her hands when something moved through them and Emma mouthed "I love you."

"What's going on?" Killian asked.

"It's their love for each other. Not even a piece of glass or a different realm can stop it," Morpheus said.

"Is that what I felt when I touched the glass?" Henry asked.

"Yes, if they were touching the glass," Morpheus said.

"The reason I'm asking is it felt different."

"Maybe my papa was touching the glass. He is your grandpa after all and loves you," he said and Henry pressed his lips together.

"Why didn't I feel anything when Rumple and I touched the glass?" Belle asked.

"You were blocking it, Mama," Morpheus said and she sighed.

After Mary Margaret and David moved to one side, Killian walked to the mirror when he placed his hand against the glass and Emma smiled at him. She placed her hand against the glass when he felt something move through him and softly laughed.

"Bloody hell," he said when Emma started folding her fingers and her fingers suddenly melted through the glass. Killian's eyes widened as he grabbed hold of her hand and moved backwards. They watched as Emma stepped through the glass then into his arms and she hugged him. "Uh, Swan, you're cutting off my air."

"Sorry," she said as she moved back then looked at David and Mary Margaret. She hugged them as Mary Margaret started to cry and Emma kissed her cheek. She moved back while looking at them then frowned. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Ask him," David said, pointing at Morpheus. She walked closer when she stood in front of Morpheus and he smiled.

"Hello, Auntie Emma," he said and she hugged him. He patted her back when she moved back and titled her head to one side.

"Ok, Kid, how did you do it?" she asked.

"It was just a trick my aunt taught me."

"Your aunt?" she asked and he looked toward the mirror. Henry was standing in front of the mirror when he placed his hand on the glass and Regina smiled at him. She placed her hand on the glass when her fingers suddenly came through the glass and squeezed his hand. Henry moved back as she stepped through the glass and she hugged him.

"I wish we had thought of this before you had to go get that," Regina said as she looked at the hammer leaning against the wall and Henry nodded. She then looked at Morpheus when she walked to him and he held his arms out. She gave him a big hug when he rubbed her back and she moved back, smiling.

"Hey, Auntie Reg," he said.

"You're really Gold's kid?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"He's telling the truth," Emma said then watched Belle walking to the mirror.

"Where is he?" Belle asked, looking back at Emma.

"He's there. Tap on the glass."

Belle tapped on the glass while they watched and a shadow stood at the edge of the glass. She tapped again when Rumplestiltskin appeared and looked at them. Mary Margaret saw the sadness and pain in his eyes as he lowered his head and Belle tapped on the glass again. He looked up as she placed her hands on the glass and he walked closer. He placed his hands on the glass as they looked deeply into each other's eyes and Belle placed her hands over his hands. He mouthed "I love you." as she nodded and bent her fingers. Her fingers suddenly went through the glass as he looked at his hands and he bent his fingers over her hands. His eyes went wide when she backed up and he shook his head.

"Belle! Don't!" Emma said while Rumplestiltskin came out of the mirror and the glass changed to show the room. Belle could just feel his hands in hers as he looked at her with sad eyes and bit his lower lip.

"Told you we get them all out," Morpheus said, giving Emma a wink.

"He looks like a bloody ghost," Killian said.

Belle looked at Rumplestiltskin as Rumplestiltskin titled his head to one side and sadly smiled. She noticed he was starting fade as he mouthed "Belle." and she reached out to touch his cheek.

"Mama, I need you to move!" Morpheus said as he quickly walked to Belle and removed a small clear glass bottle from his sleeve.

Belle let go of Rumplestiltskin's hand as Morpheus removed the stopper to the bottle and Rumplestiltskin looked at the bottle.

"Just like the Genie of the Lamp, Papa," Morpheus said with a grin as Rumplestiltskin blinked his eyes. Smiling, Rumplestiltskin changed into a purple mist when the purple mist went in the bottle and Morpheus placed the stopper back. He placed the bottle into his sleeve as he looked at them and saw the confused looks on their faces.

"Ok, what just happened?" Regina asked.

"That was a spirit bottle. All Papa had to do was go inside and wait until we get rid of the Dark Reflection then we can put him back into his body," Morpheus said.

"Why didn't you tell us about that earlier?" David asked.

"You never asked," he said and smiled as Belle slid her arm around his waist.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Ok, Kid, I think it's time you told us what's really going on," Emma said while Belle looked at Morpheus and he slid his arm around Belle's shoulders.

"Where do you want me to start?" he asked.

"Well, to start with, are you really their son," Regina said.

"I already said he was," Emma said.

"Then how can a full-grown version of him be here now?" Killian asked.

"Well, a little time traveling had something to do with it," Morpheus said.

"I knew it!"

"You see," Morpheus said as he led Belle to the bed and they sat down. "I'm not your typical Child of True Love. It's true that I can use Light Magic, but I also have god powers. Papa speculated that it had something to do with Mama putting herself under the sleeping curse while all of you were in the Underworld."

"Are you saying Hades gave you your powers?" Zelena asked.

"No, he didn't. Zeus did."

"Why did Zeus give you god powers?" David asked.

"Well, it turns out you really hadn't gotten rid of Hades."

"He came back?!" Zelena said with wide eyes.

"Yes, but he was not happy," he said as he looked at her. "Especially with you."

"Oh."

"Papa knew the only way to truly defeat a god is with a more powerful god so he called Zeus."

"Wonder what price he had to pay for that," Mary Margaret said.

"It wasn't much," Morpheus said. "Just two weeks of his life. After Hades was defeated for good…"

"Hold on. Are you telling us the truth?" Killian asked.

"Killian, I would have called him on it if he was lying," Emma said.

"He's the Dark One's son! He might be a natural born liar!"

"If it wasn't for this natural born liar, you would have died from the nightmare curse Hades inflicted on you! And believe me, Mate, if I didn't think Auntie Emma would hate me forever, I wouldn't have!" Morpheus said as he got up and walked to him. Killian looked up into angry eyes as he pressed his lips into a thin line then lowered his head.

"Take it easy, you two," Regina said as she came between them and Morpheus looked at her.

"Sorry, Auntie Reg," Morpheus said and she lightly patted his shoulder.

"Zeus give you god powers because you saved him?" Henry asked.

"No, it was to thank Mama for helping him find out just how to get rid of Hades once and for all," he said, looking at Belle. "It feels a little odd, having god powers, but it does have some perks."

"Like going into someone's dreams in order to wake them up from a sleeping curse?" David asked.

"Yeah."

"Can we now get to why you had to come to the past and how you knew about the Dark Reflection?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I want to know how he was able to break the spell she cast on me and Snow," David said.

"Yes, I would like to know that myself," a voice said and they saw the Evil Queen standing in the doorway with Robin in her arms. She walked to Zelena when she placed Robin in her arms then looked at Morpheus.

"If you must know, my aunt taught me how," Morpheus said, looking at Regina.

"I see."

"What are you doing here?" Zelena asked.

"A certain Reflection came to the farmhouse. Let's just say he wasn't happy."

"How do we know he didn't follow you?" Belle asked.

"He collapsed shortly after he showed up."

"What do you mean he collapsed?" Regina asked.

"I think whatever Zelena did to him, plus everything else, is beginning to affect his heart."

"Are you saying he's dying?" Belle asked.

"Yes," she said, looking at Belle. "That's exactly what I am saying."

"Then we are running out of time," Morpheus said.

"Wait, are you saying that's why you're here? We need to prevent Gold from dying?" David asked.

"Yes," Morpheus said. "If he dies now, Hades will destroy not only all of you, but the world. You see, Janus can see the past as well as the future. He keeps track of time."

"Belle already told us that," Killian said and Emma hushed him.

"He knows that time has to flow in a certain pattern," Morpheus continued while looked at Emma and Killian. "That is why he let you two travel through time. But, from time to time, there are what he described as ripples. It's when time flows in a different direction. Some of these ripples need to happen, but, like in this case, some cause chaos."

"And he saw that the Crocodile, uh, Gold wasn't himself?" Killian asked.

"Yes. He also saw what would happen if he dies. What he saw next was how his death could be prevented…"

"Could be prevented?" Mary Margaret asked.

"That's the problem with ripples. You can't really see," Morpheus said then sighed. "He did see my part in it and sent me here, but I'm still learning how my god powers work. I messed up."

"How did you mess up?" Belle asked as he walked to the bed and sat down.

"Mama, you know how Papa doesn't always do things right?"

"Yes, I know."

"Well, when the Dark Reflection came to wake you up, I didn't do the warning right. I was trying to tell you that the man you were seeing wasn't Papa. That's why I told you to not let him ruin us like he ruined his old family. How could a baby know that? It can't. I know because Papa told me stories about his old life. He told me about Milah and how their marriage fell apart. It wasn't his fault. It was hers. He told me about Bae…uh….Neal and what happened between them. But you didn't see it that way. All you saw…"

"All I saw was the hate in your eyes and thought you didn't love him. That we would be better off without him."

"Yes."

"But, if it wasn't him, why was True Love's Kiss working?"

"It was _your_ dream. You _wanted_ it to work, but your _anger_ …your _hate_ for the Dark Reflection… stopped it. Something inside you _told_ you something was wrong. That is _wasn't_ Papa."

"He said he wanted to change."

"He was lying. Just like he's been lying to you since he took over Papa's body."

"Then it wasn't just you who messed up," Belle said. "I did as well. I should have paid more attention. All the signs were, but…."

"Enough with the guilt trips," the Evil Queen said and they glared at her. "We need to stop him."

"She's right," Regina said.

"But he knows we have the mirrors. He's going to be ready for us," Emma said.

"He could care less about the mirrors. What he really wants is her," the Evil Queen said, pointing to Belle.

"Well, he's not going…," Mary Margaret said when Belle suddenly vanished in a puff of red smoke then a loud tapping came from the mirror.

 **I told you Rumplestiltskin always finds a loophole!** appeared after the blue mist swirled behind the glass and the glass fogged over. A smiling face appeared under the words then the fog faded.

"Damn," Regina said.

"Where do you think he took her?" Henry asked.

"I told you. He's at the farmhouse," the Evil Queen said.

"Then that's where we're going," Emma said. Morpheus picked the mirrors off the bed as he walked to her and she held her hand out. He wrapped his fingers around hers while they looked at the Evil Queen and she frowned.

"Why are you looking at me for?" the Evil Queen asked.

"Oh, for once in your life, be a hero instead of a villain," Regina said as she scowled. Pressing her lips together, the Evil Queen sighed when she waved her hands and they vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

 _Zelena's farmhouse_

Belle watched the Dark Reflection slump onto the couch as she stood near the dining table and he rested his head back. She remembered how he looked when he nearly had a heart attack in front of her after placing the bracelet on her wrist, but now he looked worse.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said as she walked closer then sat down next to him.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I'm just trying to figure out why it was so easy for you to fool me into thinking you were Rumple."

"It's simple. Guilt."

"Guilt?"

"Don't you feel guilty for what you did to him? You were always leaving him. You were always trying to change him. You were always telling him not to use magic. But, most of all, you couldn't leave him where he was."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the Vault of the Dark One."

"He was dead."

"Yes, he was. He sacrificed himself for you and this entire town. He finally did something right and yet you didn't see it that way. You were so convinced he was still alive that you persuaded his only son to go look for him."

"That was because the dagger vanished with him."

"Ah, yes, the dagger," he said, flicking his hands up. "Let's talk about that for a second. You enjoyed using it, didn't you?"

"I… I didn't want to. Not after what he went through. But you were getting out of control and were lying to me."

"And he never lied?"

"Not as much as you did," she said as she figured out he was just trying to upset her and sat up straighter. "And he was never this cruel. He loves me and he loved Neal."

"If you love him so much, why did you leave him in that cage? You could have begged Regina to let him out or ask the Outlaw to pick the lock."

"You're right," she said with a nod.

"What about when I gave you the dagger? You took it. If it had been him who offered it to you, would you have done the same?"

"He wouldn't have given it to me. He knew what our symbol was."

"Oh, yes, the chipped cup," he said with a snorted laugh. "It was odd to get so emotional before I broke the stupid thing."

"Of course you would get emotional about it. This is his body…his mind…his emotions. You can't deny that."

"Yes, I can," he said through clenched teeth. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he tried to calm down, but the dizziness was getting worse. He opened his eyes as he looked at her and sighed. "Let's get back to what we were talking about. You convinced his son to go look for him and let a stranger trick you into bringing him back. You didn't even stop his son from picking up the key!"

"I didn't know he had picked up the key until it was too late," she shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"So you do feel guilty. You know you were responsible for his son's death," he said with grin which caused her blood to turn cold.

"Of course I do," she said and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"And it was that guilt which made it so easy for me to get away with whatever I did. All I had to do was act pathetic after doing something wrong and you would try to cheer me up. Make me feel like I could be a better man. That it wasn't too late to change. Another thing I did was act like I cared about you. Like when you were under the Snow Queen's mirror curse. If I hadn't calm you down… If I hadn't forgiven you… You might have killed me. You almost did. If you had cut any deeper, I would have bled to death."

"So it was all an act. Even what happened in the book."

"Of course," he said with a laugh. "Speaking of the book. I admire how you forgot all about our child. You didn't even mention him when you came storming into the pawnshop. All you cared about was putting the puppy back on the leash so he wouldn't hurt the other puppies. Did the child mean that little to you?"

"Of course he meant something to me."

"Then why didn't you get angry at Henry for killing him?"

"Henry didn't know he existed."

"But _you_ did! And you wonder why I'm worry about this child? You already put his life in danger when you did that stunt with the sleeping curse. _You_ are an unfit mother!" he said, wagging his index finger at her.

"You're wrong. If anyone is unfit to be a parent, it's you," Belle growled.

"Be careful, Dearie. You know what I'm like when you get me angry."

"Yes, I do know," she said, looking at the bracelet. Suddenly, she thought of something and he arched an eyebrow. "I just thought of something. Why didn't the Apprentice figure out you weren't Rumple? He removed the Darkness and your heart was white."

"It wasn't my heart. I don't have one. As for The Apprentice, I guess he didn't know the difference. All he saw, like everyone else in this stupid town, was The Dark One!" he said then closed his eyes. Belle felt the old feeling of wanting to comfort Rumplestiltskin, but she reminded herself that this wasn't him and he smiled. "Ah, you still have feeling for me, don't you?"

"No, I don't. I hate you," she growled and he laughed.

"Then you aren't going to lose any sleep if I would happen to die right now?" he asked, opening one eye.

"You do that and you will never get your hands on my son."

"Point taken," he said with a nod and opened his other eye.

"Why do you want him?"

"Well, seeing how I have the power of all the Dark Ones, I need someone who is full of pure Light Magic to balance things out. A Child of True Love."

"He isn't a Child of True Love. I don't love you," Belle said and felt guilty. Morpheus has told her he was a Child of True Love and the Dark Reflection noticed the look on her face.

"You are a terrible liar. You love this body. You love the man you thought I was. And he truly loves you. That makes this baby a Child of Truw Wuv!" he said then giggled.

"Is that why you needed the shears? You didn't want to change his fate. You were going to cut the power out of him."

"Yes!"

"What would have happened to him afterwards?"

"Oh, he would have died," he said in a matter of a fact tone and she balled her hands into fists. Before she could say anything, a fireball shot through the window and exploded against the wall. He stood up as he waved his hand to put the fire out then looked at her. "Well, it looks like we have company."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"I hope you didn't just destroy my house," Zelena said while looking at Regina and Regina shrugged. Mary Margaret agreed to stay at the apartment with Neal and Robin as they looked the farmhouse and Emma silently prayed Belle was alright.

"If I did, you can move back in with me," she said while the door opened and the Dark Reflection led Belle out of the house.

"Is it me or does he look like he's about to drop dead?" David asked.

"Aye, he looks like a bloody corpse." Killian said.

"Which is why we need to end this now," Morpheus said.

"How do we do that with Belle in the way?" Henry asked.

"Well, this looks familiar," the Dark Reflection said as he held onto Belle.

"Let her go," Emma said.

"Or what? You're going to kill me?"

"That's the plan," Killian said.

"You do that and the Darkness gets out," he said with a giggle. "And I'm willing to bet it wouldn't mind taking one of you two over again. Yes, I think it would love to go back into you, Miss Swan. You really enjoyed it."

"No she didn't," David said.

"A lot you know, Shepherd. She _relished_ the power! She _craved_ it! She _needed_ it! Just like the Spinner did!"

"Who are you talking about?"

"I am talking about Rumplestiltskin!" the Dark Reflection said, flaring his hand up. "He was addicted to the power! That's all he cared about! That's all he needed!"

"But Emma didn't become addicted," Killian said.

"That's true," the Dark Reflection said. "But you would have become addicted. You are just as weak as he is. The power…"

"Yeah, well, speaking of that. You have all this power and all you're doing with it is scaring a pregnant woman and want to take her baby," Regina said and the Dark Reflection glared at her.

"Aye, you're nothing, but a worthless coward!" Killian growled.

"Killian!" Emma hissed.

"No, he's right," the Evil Queen said. "He has all this power, but doesn't use it. If he did, you wouldn't have had to deal with Hades or Hyde. He would have just destroyed them."

"You want to see my true power, Dearies?" the Dark Reflection growled while letting go of Belle when she suddenly slammed her hand into his chest and removed his heart. He looked at her as he walked closer then collapsed onto the ground and Regina waved her hand. Belle vanished in a puff of red smoke then appeared next to Morpheus and Belle looked at the heart. It was covered in a black goo, but she could just see the white peeking through and the heart was barely moving against the palm of her hand.

"Is he dead?" Henry asked.

"No! Look!" Emma said. She remembered how the Darkness came out of Rumplestiltskin's heart, but she never expected to see it come out of his mouth. The black smoke rose up while floating over Rumplestiltskin's body when the Dark Reflection formed into a shadow form of Rumplestiltskin from the waist up and black tendrils flickered back and forth underneath.

"Swan, can you feel that?" Killian asked as he looked at the Dark Reflection and she moved closer, taking his hand.

'Yeah, I can," she said. The Dark Reflection growled while the tendrils slashed back and forth and flame flicked from its fingers. "It the Darkness."

"Ok, now what do we do?" Regina asked.

"You die, Dearie," the Dark Reflection said in an echoing version of Rumplestiltskin's voice then laughed.

"Not if I can help it," Morpheus said as he floated into the air and fire crackling with electricity swirled around his hands.

"Did you know he could do that?" Henry asked, looking at Belle.

"No," she said, looking at Rumplestiltskin. She wasn't sure if he was breathing as she pressed her lips together and started praying. They watched Morpheus floating in the air as the Dark Reflection looked at him and growled. Morpheus locked eyes with the Dark Reflection when he raised his hands and launched the fire at him. The fire hit the Dark Reflection in the chest as an inhuman howling filled the air and they cupped their hands over their ears.

"Where did that come from?" David asked.

"It's just something my papa taught me," Morpheus said and launched another blast of fire at the Dark Reflection. The Dark Reflection howled then ducked at the next assault and Morpheus looked at Emma and Regina. "Uh, Auntie Emma, Auntie Reg, if you don't mind. I could use a little help."

"You got it, Kid," Emma said as she and Regina stood side by side and launched fireballs and Light Magic at the Dark Reflection. They were all surprised when the Evil Queen joined them and the fireballs flew out of her hands. The Dark Reflection screeched as the tendrils lashed out at them, but Morpheus got out of the way and Emma, the Evil Queen and Regina rolled on the ground just as the tendrils sailed over their heads.

"Well, don't just stand there! Help them!" Zelena shouted as she looked at David, Henry and Killian, waved her hands and they were suddenly armed with swords.

"I'm not sure these will help, Love. It's a bloody shadow!" Killian said as he looked at the Dark Reflection.

"No, it's just sold darkness," David said as he took hold of the handle of the sword in both hands and charged. The blade of the sword cut through the air then sliced into one of the tendrils and the Dark Reflection bellowed.

"Grandpa, watch out!" Henry said as one of the tendrils headed straight for David's head and David ducked. Running, Henry and Killian charged at the tendrils while Emma, the Evil Queen, Regina and Morpheus launched Light Magic and fire at the Dark Reflection and Belle looked at Zelena.

"This is all your fault," Belle said and Zelena gave her a confused look.

"How can this be my fault?" Zelena asked as they ducked while a tendril flew over their heads.

"You were the one who tricked me and Neal into bringing him back from the dead."

"You wanted him back just as much as I did," she said as the screams from the Dark Reflection filled the air and Zelena saw that the Evil Queen, Emma and Regina were running out of energy. The fire and Light Magic barely made the Dark Reflection flinch and he started laughing.

"Running out of gas, are we?" the Dark Reflection asked then screamed as Hook plunged the hook into one of the tendrils.

"Swan, you and the Reginas fall back! Let us handle this!" Killian shouted and Emma, the Evil Queen and Regina ran to Zelena and Belle. They watched Morpheus, who was starting to tire, David, Killian and Henry fighting the Dark Reflection when Zelena sighed and ran toward Morpheus.

"Use the mirrors!" she shouted and he looked down at her.

"What?" he asked then dodged out of the way of the tendril.

"I said use the mirrors!" she shouted then ducked as a tendril went over her head. "It's weakened! If you don't want your mother to raise you all on her own, use the bloody things!"

"It's too close to my papa's body! The pull from the mirrors might suck him in as well!"

Zelena looked at Rumplestiltskin lying on the ground when she ran to him and dived on top. She pressed all her weight down on him as Morpheus looked at Belle and she nodded. He saw his papa's heart in her hands as he stood straighter and removed the mirrors from his sleeve. Closing his eyes, Morpheus cleared his mind and spoke a silent spell. The Dark Reflection looked at him when it titled its head to one side and frowned.

"What are you doing, Dearie?" the Dark Reflection growled. Suddenly Morpheus' eyes opened and were shining in a white light. His whole body was shining in the light and the Dark Reflection hissed. Morpheus raised his hands as the mirrors floated into the air then started to grow larger. They watched as a bright light came from within the mirrors and the Dark Reflection roared. A loud rush of wind filled the air as they watched the Dark Reflection ripple then distort and head for the mirrors. Belle watched the black goo being pulled off of Rumplestiltskin's heart and she tightened her grip on the heart to prevent it from flying out of her hands.

"Help!" Zelena said as she tried to keep Rumplestiltskin's body on the ground and Henry, David and Killian ran to her. They piled on top of her and Rumplestiltskin as the wind grew stronger and the Dark Reflection's inhuman bellowing echoed around them. A bright flash of light temporarily blinded them as the Dark Reflection slid into the mirrors and the mirrors slammed shut with a loud snap. The mirrors returned to their original size as Morpheus held the mirrors in his hands and the mirrors shook violently. He floated to the ground when he ran to Belle and she looked at Rumplestiltskin's heart.

"I don't think it's beating," she said with tears in her eyes.

"It is, but not for long," Morpheus said. "The Darkness is fighting the mirrors. It wants out. We need to break Papa's curse. Now!"

"But…"

"Mama, do you love him?!"

"Yes!"

"Then do it!" he said and they ran to the others. The others got off of Rumplestiltskin's body when Morpheus placed the mirrors on the ground then pinned them shut with his knee. He reached into his sleeve when he removed the spirit bottle and removed the stopper. They watched the purple mist coming out of the bottle when the purple mist formed into Rumplestiltskin and he looked at Morpheus then at his body. He looked confused as he looked at Morpheus then pointed from the body to him. "Yes, Papa, that's your body!"

Rumplestiltskin pointed to the hair then his hair and Morpheus sighed.

"It will grow back! Now, Papa, please, get in back in your body!"

They watched as Rumplestiltskin entered his body, but didn't wake up and Morpheus looked at Belle.

"Mama, you have to put his heart back," he said and Belle placed Rumplestiltskin's heart back in his chest. Rumplestiltskin didn't wake up as Morpheus looked at Zelena and sighed. "I need you to remove the spell you cast on his heart."

"He'll kill me if I do that," Zelena said.

"He'll die if you don't!"

Sighing, Zelena knelt next to Morpheus when she placed her hand on Rumplestiltskin's chest and was shocked to find it was barely moving. His lips were turning blue as she moved her fingers and a green light shimmered over his chest.

"There," she said as she moved her hand away and he nodded. Morpheus removed a long glass bottle from his sleeve when he looked at the red liquid then looked at Rumplestiltskin.

"I can't believe you brought all this stuff?" Emma said.

"I was taught to always be prepared," Morpheus said.

"Did he teach you that?"

"No, you did," he said with a smile and she softly laughed.

"What is that?" Henry asked.

"It's something that will heal his heart."

"He already drank that," Zelena said.

"Yes, he did, but this is a lot stronger," Morpheus said when he parted Rumplestiltskin's lips. He tilted Rumplestiltskin's head back so his mouth would open and poured the liquid into his mouth. Morpheus rubbed Rumplestiltskin's throat until Rumplestiltskin swallowed then Morpheus looked at Belle. "Mama, I need you to give him True Love's Kiss."

Belle moved closer when she leaned down and carded the side of Rumplestiltskin's head. She pressed her lips against his when she kissed him and opened her heart and mind. Everything she was entered him, but she wasn't sure if he felt it then she felt him kissing her and opening up to her. Suddenly, the air started tingling when something slammed into them and they fell onto their backs except for Belle, Rumplestiltskin and Morpheus. The tingling grew in intensity as it surrounded them and the emotions filling their hearts and minds brought tears to their eyes. The tingling faded as they rose to their feet and Regina looked at Morpheus. He was holding onto the mirrors when he locked them together and slid the mirror up his sleeve.

"What was that?" Regina asked.

"It was True Love," David said, shaking his head clear. "But it was more intense than anything I've ever felt with Snow."

"That's how powerful their love is," Morpheus said, smiling while looking at Rumplestiltskin and Belle.

"I've never felt anything like it," Emma said, holding onto Killian. She watched Belle carding Rumplestiltskin's hair while calling his name, but Rumplestiltskin's eyes stayed close.

"Did it work?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Belle said.

"I think we need to take him to the hospital," Regina said.

"No, he won't be safe there," Morpheus said. "There are too many people who would take advantage of his weakened state and destroy him."

"He's right," the Evil Queen said with a grin.

"Stay away from him," Regina said, glaring at her.

"Fine," she said then vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Morpheus watched Belle rocking Rumplestiltskin when Emma walked closer and Morpheus looked at her.

"We really should take him to the hospital," Emma said.

"No," Morpheus said.

"I promise no one will hurt him. I'll post guards…"

"I'm the only guard he needs," he said and she saw the golden light shimmering in his eyes.

"Morpheus, please, I know you don't trust us…," Belle said and he was hurt that she included herself in her statement. "But he needs to go to the hospital."

"Yes, Mama," he said as Belle watched Morpheus carefully pick Rumplestiltskin off the ground and they vanished in a puff of white smoke.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Papa?" the voice called out as Rumplestiltskin sat on the high back chair and strumming his fingers together. He was shocked when he had woken up in the Dark Castle then realized he was dreaming and had wandered around the castle for what felt like days. He had seen flashes of what the Dark Reflection had done over the years and wondered why no one had killed him.

"Papa, where are you?"

Rumplestiltskin had his heels on top of the table as he looked straight ahead and sighed. He didn't hear the door open while Morpheus walked in the room and walked to the high back chair.

"Why didn't you answer me?"

"I didn't want to," Rumplestiltskin said, folding his fingers together. Morpheus leaned against the edge of the table as Rumplestiltskin glanced at him and Morpheus folded his arms over his chest. "Why are you here?"

"Mama asked me to tell you to wake up."

"Why?"

"I think you being in a coma for the last two weeks is upsetting her."

"What's the point? All I'm going to is hurt her again."

"Do you truly believe that?"

"Yes," he said with a nod.

"She's afraid she'll hurt you."

"She's never hurt…," he said then stopped and pressed his lips in a thin line.

"Do you want to know what I always thought was funny? I always thought it was funny how two people who love each other as much as you two keep ending up being torn apart."

"It fate."

"No one decides my fate, but me, Dearie," came from behind him as Rumplestiltskin sat up and watched Belle walking closer then knelt down next to the high back chair. "And no one decides yours, but you."

"That's not fair," Rumplestiltskin said, looking at Morpheus.

"I know, but I thought if she asked you in person…," Morpheus said.

"I'm not waking up," he said, sitting back in the chair. Belle stood up when she held her hand out and he looked at her hand.

"Dance with me." she said.

"Why?"

"I need the practice," she said and he blinked. Slowly, Rumplestiltskin stood up when he took her hand and Morpheus smiled. He waved his hand when Belle was dressed in an off the shoulder golden ballgown and Rumplestiltskin was dressed in a copper silk shirt, a brown leather waist coat, a brown leather vest, a brown leather belt, brown leather trousers and brown leather boots with ended at his knees. Rumplestiltskin looked down when she lifted his chin and he made a small bow. Morpheus snapped his fingers as the Victrola started playing their song and Belle placed her hand on Rumplestiltskin's shoulder then took his hand. Morpheus watched his parents waltzing around the room while Rumplestiltskin twirled her around in circles and lifted her off the floor. The song ended as they held each other and Rumplestiltskin looked lovingly into her eyes.

"Belle," Rumplestiltskin whispered as she brushed the hair out of his eyes and leaned close to kiss him. He cupped her face in his hands as they kissed then moved back and she smiled.

"Can you ever forgive me?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Will you two hurry up and forgive each other already? I'm getting bored," Morpheus said as they looked at him and he was sitting on top of the table, swinging his legs back and forth.

"Talk like that to us like that again, Young Man, and you're grounded," Rumplestiltskin teased, wagging his index finger at him and Morpheus laughed.

"Do you forgive me?" Belle asked, wrapping her arms around Rumplestiltskin's neck.

"I do. Do you forgive me? And I mean even the Dark Reflection me?"

"I do."

"And you still want to marry me?"

"I do."

"And you won't mind that I don't have magic?"

"Ah, Papa, you do have magic," Morpheus said. "Even though the Darkness, and the power and magic which went with it, is gone, you still have Light Magic."

"Oh," Rumplestiltskin sighed.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Light Magic is boring."

"You… The Dark Reflection told me that while we were in the Underwold," Belle said.

"I don't find it boring," Morpheus said with a small grin.

"But you have god powers to go with it," Rumplestiltskin said. "I don't even know if I'm still immortal."

"It's more like semi-immortal. At least that's what Zeus told you."

"And you don't care if I have Light Magic?" he asked, looking at Belle.

"I am a little afraid, but that's because I'm worried about the price you'll have to pay when you use it," Belle said.

"All it does is make him really sleepy, Mama," Morpheus said.

"That's because I'm probably bored," Rumplestiltskin said then made a high pitch giggle. He cupped his mouth with his hands and Belle lightly touched them, moving his hands down.

"Believe it or not, but I've missed that giggle," she said then kissed his lips.

"Didn't the Dark Reflection giggle?"

"Yes, but it sounded eerie. Yours is sweet and mischievous," she said with a grin.

"Now that that's settled," Morpheus said as he stood up and walked to them while looking at Rumplestiltskin. "Are you ready to wake up?"

Rumplestiltskin moved away from them as he paced to the cabinets then back several times then stopped, placed his hands behind his back and looked at them.

 _Storybrooke General Hospital_

"Easy," Belle's voice said while his mind came back to reality and Rumplestiltskin moaned. He felt her little fingers moving through his hair and he blinked his eyes a few times. He looked at her then looked over at Doctor Whale standing next to the bed. Doctor Whale was looking at the heart monitor screen then looked at Rumplestiltskisn and smiled.

"Hello," Victor said.

"Mind what you're doing, _Doctor_ ," Morpheus said and Rumplestiltskin glanced at him.

"Don't…," Rumplestiltskin said then made a little cough to clear his throat. "Don't talk to him like that."

"Sorry, Papa."

"No, it's alright. I'm used to it," Victor said.

"Am I alright?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"Physically, yes, you're fine. Mentally, I'm not sure."

"I'm not sure either," he said and Belle saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Would you like to talk to Doctor Hopper?"

"Yes, I would."

"The problem is we don't know where he is," Belle said.

"What happened to him?"

"Regina said he was turned into a cricket again."

"Which means he could be anywhere or is in hiding."

"I'll go call Emma and see if she can find him," Victor said when he left the room and Morpheus looked at Rumplestiltskin.

"Is there something wrong, Dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked and Morpheus took his hand, wrapping their fingers together.

"Mama, do you remember when I said Papa owed Zeus two weeks of his life?" Morpheus asked.

"Yes," Belle said and Rumplestiltskin gave her a confused look.

"Why would I do that?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"It was his price for helping us with something," Belle said. She felt guilty for not telling him about Hades coming back and he sighed.

"I take it the two weeks I just spent in a coma were those two weeks," he said, looking at Morpheus.

"Yes," Morpheus said then looked toward the door.

"What's wrong?" Belle asked.

"I have to go."

"I wish you didn't have to."

"I wish I didn't have to, too," he said when a white light shimmered near the door then the doorway to Morpheus' temple appeared. The blue light swirled in the doorway as he looked at them and sighed.

"Wait. Before you go. I need to know something," Rumplestiltskin said. "Why did we call you "Morpheus"?"

"You didn't."

"Then what is your real name?"

Morpheus leaned down to whisper in his ear and Rumplestiltskin softly smiled.

"I like it," he said and Belle frowned.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" she asked.

"No, it's a surprise," Rumplestiltskin teased and she rolled her eyes, smiling. Belle made the head of the bed go up until he held up his hand to make her stop. Morpheus hugged him as Rumplestiltskin whispered "I love you." and Morpheus smiled. Morpheus hugged Belle then kissed her cheek and she gave him a small smile. They watched him walk to the doorway when Morpheus turned to look at them then nodded, stepping into the blue light. The white light appeared as the doorway vanished and Belle looked at Rumplestiltskin. She carefully climbed onto the bed when she snuggled down next to him, moved his right arm back and settled her head against his shoulder. He moved his arm around so his hand rested on her waist and she noticed the sweet smile he was giving her.

"Are you sure you can forgive me?" Belle asked.

"Yes, I forgive you," he said and she placed her hand on his chest. His chest softly rose and fell as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "When do you want to get married?"

"You mean remarried."

"Yes, when do you want to do it?"

"I'd marry you today if you feel up to it. Doctor Whale said there is a chapel in the hospital so we could use that," she said and he gave her smile.

"I would like that," he said and she sat up a little then kissed his lips.

 _Months later_

 _Manhattan – Hotel D'OR_

The soft beeping sound woke him as Rumplestiltskin sighed and rolled onto his back. Opening his eyes, he blinked until the ceiling came into focus and he rubbed his face with his hands. He looked at his moonstone ring on his right ring finger then the gold wedding band on his left ring finger and smiled. Sitting up, he propped the pillows up and picked his phone off the night table. He was surprised to learn the Dark Reflection had bought the penthouse, but he felt guilty because the bellboy still looked afraid of him when he brought him some dinner the night before. Looking at the screen, he smiled at the photo of a pregnant Belle and she was standing sideways to show off her stomach.

 **Don't forget to bring the white bag when you come to pick us up.** was on the screen as he looked over at the white bag sitting on the dark wood table and a small shutter moved through him as his mind flashed back to what had happened in the room.

 **I won't.** he typed as he placed the phone back on the night table and half closed his eyes. The soft beeping caused him to open his eyes as he pick up the phone again and looked at the screen.

 **Morning, Papa.**

 **Good morning.**

 **Did you get any sleep?**

 **Yes. Did you?**

 **Yes.**

 **What time do are you getting released?**

 **Any time after two.**

 **Is he with you?**

 **No, the nurse told me he's getting his first bath.**

 **Aw, I wanted to help you do that.**

 **You will. Oh, she also told me he's the only boy in the nursery.**

 **Lucky boy.** he typed as a soft giggle escaped his lips.

 **Behave.**

 **Sorry.**

 **Oh, don't pout.**

 **How did you know I was pouting?**

 **I didn't.** Belle typed and sent a smiley face. **Did you do a video session with Archie?**

 **Yes. I told him about some memory flashes I've been having.**

 **What did you remember?**

 **Uh….**

 **Rumple?**

 **It was about you and…** _ **him**_ **.**

 **Who?**

 **Will.**

Rumplestiltskin looked at the screen as he leaned his head back against the pillows and placed the phone on the duvet. He wasn't sure how he would handle Belle's affair, but from what he saw…what he felt…it almost shattered his heart. Archie had told him not to think of it as Belle cheating on him as much as Belle cheating on the Dark Reflection.

" _Either way, it still hurts,"_ he thought and the phone softly beeped. He picked up the phone as he looked at the screen and blinked.

 **Are you still there?**

 **Yes.**

 **I never meant to hurt you.**

 **I need to know something.**

 **What?**

Rumplestiltskin looked at the screen as he tried to figure out how to ask her what he needed to know and sighed.

 **When you thought I was dying, you said you didn't love Will, but that's not how I…how he…saw it.**

 **I never loved him. What about you…him…and the Evil Queen? Did he love her?**

He had told her about what the Dark Reflection and the Evil Queen were doing and he looked at the screen.

 **I wouldn't call if love as much as he was fascinated with her.**

 **Were you ever fascinated with her?**

 **She was my student and, if truth be told, she was like a daughter to me.**

 **So, if you did love her, it was like a father?**

 **Yes. Can we talk about this later? I'd rather think about you and the baby right now.**

 **Yes, we can.**

Rumplestiltskin smiled when his stomach growled and he laughed.

 **I'm hungry.**

 **Then go have breakfast.** she typed then sent another smiley face.

 **I love you.** he typed and added two Xs.

 **I love you, too.** she typed and added two Xs.

He ended the call when he placed the phone on the night table, moving the bedding back and looked at the black wood cane. They found out his was lame again and he placed his hand on the gold handle. With a small grunt, he stood up when he sighed then went to get dressed.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Belle held the baby in her arms as she looked at his tiny fingers and lightly stroke them with her thumb. She remembered the look in Rumplestiltskin's eyes when he first saw their son and how he sweetly smiled at him.

"Your papa really loves you," she whispered as the door opened and she heard a soft clicking sound. She looked up to see Rumplestiltskin standing at the foot of the bed and he placed his hands on the gold handle of the black wood cane. His hair had grown out enough to cover the top of his ears and his fringe was long enough for him to brush to one side. She admitted she liked his hair like this and he still had some brown hair mixed in with the white, silver and gray. "Hello, Papa."

"Hello," he said as he looked at the baby. "Is he awake?"

"Yes," she said as he slowly walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at them. She knew he was still unsure about holding their son and he placed his hands on the gold handle of the black wood cane. "You can hold him if you want."

Rumplestiltskin leaned the black wood cane against the bedside table when he carefully sat on the edge of the bed and picked the baby out of her arms. He moved the blanket down when he kissed the top of his son's head and Belle smiled.

"Did you enjoy your bath?" he asked, tilting his son up a little.

"Yes, he did. According to the nurse, he was bathed by all the student nurses," Belle said and Rumplestiltskin laughed.

"Lucky," he said and she lightly shoved him.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked.

"Yes," she said when he handed the baby to her and got up. He had left the white bag on the chair by the door when he picked up the white bag and walked back to the bed. He looked at the small baby bed and smiled at the name on the blue card.

 **Gold, Giles Robert**

After helping her dress the baby, he went to get the overnight bag and followed the nurse as she pushed the wheelchair with Belle and the baby sitting on it down the hallway.

 _Hotel D'OR_

Belle woke up to find Rumplestiltskin wasn't beside her and her heart started slamming in her chest. She turned on the lamp on the night table when she got up and walked into the living room. The room was semi-dark, but she could see the silhouette of her husband standing in front of the window and he seemed to be looking out at the city. She didn't move as she watched him and he had his head lowered.

"Come over and say hello, Dearie," he said as she moved closer and stood next to him. She looked at him when she saw their son in his arms and the baby's little head rested against his papa's chest.

"Is he alright?" Belle asked.

"He was once I changed him."

"Why didn't you put him back to bed?"

"Neither of us felt like it."

"So, you're just standing here and are waiting for the sun to come up?"

"Yes," he said and she saw him wince.

"I think your leg has other ideas," she teased and he sighed, glancing at her.

"You're right," he said. She placed her arm around his waist while they headed back to the bed and he smiled at her. He got under the covers then Belle handed him their son and he held the baby against his chest. Belle watched him lightly stroking the top of the baby's head while she got under the covers then she snuggled closer and moved the covers up.

"Do you think he's alright?" Belle asked.

"He's fine," Rumplestiltskin said.

"I mean in the future. We don't know for sure if he even got back."

"I am a Seer, but I can't see everything. I guess we'll have to wait and see," he said and Belle closed her eyes. He watched her drift off to sleep as he slid his arm around her, looked down at their son and frowned. He really didn't know what was going to happen to his son, but he did know one thing.

He was proud of him.

 _Years later – Storybrooke_

"There you are," a female voice said as Morpheus stood at the foot of the grave, but didn't answer her. "Hey, did you hear me?"

"I heard you," he said as a female with long auburn hair and brown eyes stood next to him and looked down. BELOVED SON NEAL CASSIDY was on the gravestone and she saw the anger in Morpheus' eyes. "Why didn't he change it?"

"You know why," she said. "In this world, he was known as "Neal"."

"But that's not his name."

"You sound like Papa," Colette Gold said and he grinned. Colette was two years younger than he was and was a Seer as well as a Light Magic witch.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Speaking of him, I was sent to fetch you," she said and he turned to look at her. "Mind knocking off the glamor? I'm getting a stiff neck."

Morpheus shrank down to the same height as Rumplestiltskin as she smiled and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on," she said and they walked away while the breeze softly moved the grass around the grave.

 _Gold's pawnshop_

The silver bell over the door jingled as Colette and Morpheus walked inside and he looked around. He thought back to the first time he had set foot in the pawnshop. He remembered how his papa allowed him to help out when he was older and his first job was just sweeping the floor.

"Papa, are you here?" Colette called out. They waited as the curtain to the backroom moved and they heard a soft clicking sound.

"Hello, Dearies," Rumplestiltskin said with a grin and Morpheus tilted his head to one side. Rumplestiltskin's hair was shoulder length, but was also solid white. He was dressed all in black with a light blue shirt and matching handkerchief in the breast pocket of the suit jacket and wore black leather shoes. He came closer when he stood in front of them and notice the look in his son's eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

Rumplestiltskin made a little grunt when Morpheus hugged him and he was shaking. Making soft hushing sounds, Rumplestiltskin patted his son's back when Morpheus moved back and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Sorry, Papa," he said and Rumplestiltskin made a soft laugh.

"You are such a baby," Colette said.

"Well, you're a brat."

"Colette, stop teasing your brother," Rumplestiltskin said then looked at Morpheus. "I take it things went well?"

"Considering you're alive and Hades didn't destroy the world, yes, things went very well."

"Good," Rumplestiltskin said with a nod of his head. "Now, your mother called. She doesn't feel like cooking so we're going to Granny's for dinner."

"You don't feel like cooking either, Papa?" Colette asked.

"No," he said with a shake of his head.

"Is Paul going to meet us there?"

"Yes."

"Then, Gentlemen, shall we get going?" she asked as she linked her arms around theirs and Morpheus laughed.

"As you wish, Dearie," Rumplestiltskin said and they headed for the door.

 _Granny's_

The door opened as Rumplestiltskin walked in and Colette and Morpheus followed close behind him. Morpheus was amazed the place still looked the same even though Granny had died two years before and he smiled.

"Grandpa!" someone shouted as seven children ran to Rumplestiltskin when he gave them a blank look and tapped the end of the black wood cane hard on the floor. The children came to a stop in front of him and he tilted his head to one side. Three of the children belonged to Henry and Violet, two of them were Colette's and the other two were Morpheus'.

"Is this how you act in public?" he asked and they shook their heads.

"You gotta keep an eye on them at all times, Mate," Killian said while standing near the counter and Rumplestiltskin glared at him.

"Your son is about to jump off the table," Rumplestiltskin said as Killian turned and his eyes widened.

"Liam!" he shouted as he ran to the table and Rumplestiltskin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Gran'pa?" three year old Emilie asked and he looked down at her. "Gina bit me."

"She stole my dolly," four year old Regina said.

"Did you ask if you could play with it?" he asked, looking at Emilie.

"Yeah, but she said no," Emilie said.

"Then you shouldn't have taken it."

"I know. Mama put me in out."

"Me, too," Regina said and he looked at Colette.

"Did they say they were sorry then hug?" he asked.

"Yes," Colette said. He patted the girls on top of their heads when he noticed Morpheus' seven year old identical twin sons seemed upset about something. Both of them had brown hair and bright green eyes, but the smaller of the two wore wire rim glasses.

"Boys, is there something wrong?" he asked.

"No," the boys said at the same time.

"You better tell him," a woman with brown hair and bright green eyes said as she walked closer and stood behind the boys.

"Hello, Robin," he said. Rumplestiltskin was surprised when Morpheus first became interested in Robin, but he didn't object when they got married.

"Hello, Papa," she said when she walked to Morpheus and kissed his lips. "Hello."

"Hello," Morpheus said, sliding his arms around her then looked at his sons. "What did you do?"

"We didn't do anything," Gabriel Gold said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"But we wanted to," Nicholas Gold said then sighed. "See, there was this sixth-grader and he was picking on Henry. We couldn't find a teacher and we knew you would be mad if we used magic."

"Is Henry alright?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"No, he got pounded," Gabriel said while the glasses on a tray on the counter started shaking and Rumplestiltskin knelt down, holding his arms out. Gabriel ran to his grandpa when Rumplestiltskin wrapped his arms around him and made soft hushing sounds. He knew Gabriel's powers were stronger than Nicholas' powers and had taught him breathing techniques to keep his emotions in check. Carding the back of Gabriel's head, he told him it was alright over and over and Gabriel buried his face against the crook of his grandpa's neck.

"We told the teacher when we came back to class," Nicholas said and Rumplestiltskin nodded. Gabriel slowly calmed down when Rumplestiltskin looked up and Belle smiled at him. He liked the gray in her auburn curls and she lightly placed her hand on Gabriel's shoulder.

"You did the right thing," Belle said as Gabriel looked at her and made a tiny smile. With a small grunt, Rumplestiltskin stood up and held his grandson against his side. "Hello."

"Hello," Rumplestiltskin said and she kissed his lips.

"Paul is holding a table for us," she said and he looked at the tall young man with black hair and blue-gray eyes. Colette had met him when she went to college in Manhattan and he was a little surprised when he found out about the people of Storybrooke. Luckily, he was a literature major and was always fascinated about fairy tales. Rumplestiltskin was even more floored when Paul told him _he_ was is favorite character and Beauty and the Beast was his favorite story. They headed for the table when Rumplestiltskin turned and saw Morpheus was still standing near the door. He walked back to his son as he placed his hands on the gold handle of the black wood cane and tilted his head to one side.

"Is there something wrong?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"Well, not really," Morpheus said. "I went to the cemetery after I came back. I needed to talk to Bae."

"What were you talking about?"

"I told him what happened."

"Is that all?"

"I also told I could never be him. He wouldn't have messed up. He would have known you weren't you. He…"

"He's dead," Rumplestiltskin said. "And I never wanted you to be him. I told you time and again you are _not_ his replacement."

"I still feel guilty. If I hadn't messed up the warning…"

"You are definitely my son," Rumplestiltskin teased. "Even after all these years, I still feel guilty for things I've done. More so when it comes to what the Dark Reflection did. What I learned from all those sessions with Doctor Hopper is you have to let go."

"But…."

"Look around," Rumplestiltskin said as he swept his arm across the room. "None of this would be here if you hadn't told them what really had happened to me."

Morpheus looked around the room as he looked at Killian making three year old Liam laugh while Emma rolled her eyes. He looked at Henry, Violet and their son and daughters laughing while enjoying their meal with Regina. He looked at David and Mary Margaret enjoying dinner with Neal and his wife, Silver. She was the daughter of Goldilocks and Mary Margaret was holding their six months old granddaughter on her lap. Rumplestiltskin had found out Neal was time locked and it took three more years before he figured out how to unlock him so he could age normally. Morpheus felt the guilt coming back when he thought about Zelena being killed by Hades, but shook his head to clear it then looked at his family. He smiled as Robin blew him a kiss and Rumplestiltskin glanced at him.

"You're right," Morpheus said with a nod.

"I just wish you had stayed long enough for me to tell you something."

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I'm very proud of you," he said and lightly nudged him. Lightly laughing, Morpheus blushed and lowered his head. "Now, can we go eat? I'm starved."

Nodding, Morpheus walked next to his papa as they headed for the table and he sat down. Rumplestiltskin leaned over to kiss Belle after he placed his hand on her shoulder then he looked at his family, smiled, patter her shoulder and sat down, placing the gold handle of the black wood cane against the top of the table.

 _ **A/N: Thank you to all my readers. I wanted Rumple to be something other than himself to explain why he was so OOC on the show. And, yes, I named the baby after Robert Carlyle and Giles Matthey. :) Didn't like the baby's name on the show. Did you like the names of the kids? I hope you don't mind that I married Morpheus and Robin. :)**_


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